Rotary engine



May 2 3, 1944. R. c. WALLACE ROTARY ENGINE Filed Aug. 27. 1942 4 Shets-Sheet 1 r m n E w I 770%)? C. Wllace w By w y 1944- R; c. WALLACE I 2,349,481

ROTARY ENGINE Filed Aug. 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 5 1 R. c. WALLACE 2,349,481

ROTARY ENGINE Filed Aug. 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor Fafirz 6. Wallace May 23, .1944;

- Filed Aug. 27, 1942 v R. c. WALLACE 2,349,481

ROTARY ENGINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 lrwentor Edie)? 6'. Wallace Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY ENGINE Robert C. Wallace, Wilmington, Calif.

Application August 2'7, 1942, Serial No. 456,406

1 Claim.

and arrangement; whereby. a. plurality of power impulses will be had ,with each complete revolution of the rotor;

Other objects of. the invention are to provide an engine of the character described which will be comparatively simple in; construction, strong,

durable, highlyefficient and reliable in use, compact, light ingweight; and which may be manufactured at low cost.

All. of. the foregoing and, still further objects andadvantages of the. invention will become ap-' parent from a study ofthe following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in end elevation of a rotary internal combustion engine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view in vertical section, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the rotary piston or rotor, looking at the periphery thereof.

Figure 7 is a sectional view, taken substantialiy on the line 'Il of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a substantially circular metallic housing which is designated generally by reference numeral .5, which housing may be of any suitable dimensions. On one end of the housing 5 is a gear case 2. Journaled in the housing I is a shaft 3, said shaft passing through the case 2 and projecting be yond both ends of said housing. Suitable bearings 4 are provided for the shaft 3. A cooling fan 5 is mounted on the shaft 3 adjacent one end of the housing I.

A rotor 6 is fixed on the shaft 3 and operable in the housing I. The rotor 8 has formed in its periphery at spaced points a plurality of circumferentially elongated combustion chambers I of substantially the shape shown to advantage in Figure 3 of thedrawings, said combustion chambers, merging gradually with the periphery of said rotor toward. their rear or trailing ends. The. rotor is further provided'in its periphery with a channel 8 communicating with the combustion chambers ,I. Sealing rings 9 are provided at the sides of the peripheral channel 8 and on the sides of the rotor 6.

Sealing vanes 9 are slidably' mounted in transverse grooves I0 (see Fig. '7) which are provided therefor in the periphery of the rotor 6. It will be noted that the sealing vanes S are located adjacent the forward or leading ends of the combustion chambers I; Springs I I in the grooves III yieldingly urge the vanes 9' outwardly against the housing I.

A fuel pump I2 is. provided on top of the housing I. The pump I-2 includes a casing I3 which rises from the housing I, said casing having formed therein a circular chamber I4. An offcenter shaft I5 is provided in the chamber I4,

said'shaft being journaled in the casing I3 and The shaft .Iiext'ends paralleling the shaft :3. through the upper portion of the gear case 2. Fixed 0n the shaft I5 for rotation in the chamber I4 is a rotor I6. It will thus be seen that a substantially crescent-shaped fuel intake and compression compartment I! is formed in the casing I3.

A chain, sprocket and gear drive I8 in the case 2 connects the shaft I5 to the shaft 3 for actuation thereby. The rotor 6 rotates in a clockwise direction and the rotation of the rotor I6 is counter-clockwise.

Slidably mounted in the rotor I6 is a pair of vanes I9. The vanes I9 comprise overlapping, slidably engaged side legs 20 on their inner ends. Coil springs 2I are provided between the vanes I9 for yieldingly urging said vanes outwardly against the casing I3.

The front portion of the casing I3 is formed to provide a valve chamber 22 which communicates, at an intermediate point, with the fuel chamber I! through a passage 23. A gate valve 24 is slidably mounted in the chamber 22 and rides on the periphery of the rotor 6 in the channel 8 and the combustion chambers I. Coil springs 25 yieldingly urge the valve 24 inwardly against the rotor 5. The coil springs 25 are of suificient strength to cause the valve 24 to force the vanes 9 inwardly against the tension of the springs I I. A block 26 is secured in the outer portion of the chamber 22 by set screws 21. Threadedly mounted for adjustment in the block 26 is a plurality of screws 28. The screws 28 regulate the tension of the springs 25. A bar 29 is provided between the coil springs 25 and the screws 28 in the chamber 22.

The valve 24 has formed therein a port 30. When the valve 24 is in lowered position the port 30 is in communication with the adjacent combustion chamber 1 and when said valve 24 is in raised position, the port 30 is in communication with the passage 23. A spark plug 3| is provided adjacent the valve 24 for firing the charge in the combustion chambers l. The shaft [5 drives a suitable timer or distributor 32 which controls the flow Of current to the spark plug 3!.

A sealing vane 33 is provided in the casing 13 in back of the passage 23 and rides on the periphery of the rotor IS.

A fuel intake pipe 35flis' connected to the casing l3 and communicates with the chamber H. An exhaust pipe 34 communicates with the housing I adjacent the side of the pump I2 which is remote from the valve 24.

It is thought that the operation of the engine will'be readily apparent from a consideration of the foregoing. Briefly, fuel is drawn into the chamber I! by one of the vanes I 9 and compressed by the following vane. With the valve 24 in raised position, the compressed fuel enters the port 30 through the passage 23. When the valve 24 is forced downwardly into one of the 7 combustion chambers 1, when said one combustion chamber reaches this point, the passage 23 is closed by said valve and the port 30 is in communication with the aforementioned chamber 1 for the flow of the compressed fuel thereinto.

The charge is then fired by the spark plug 3| and the expanding fuel drives the rotor 6 the valve 24 now functioning as a sliding abutment. When this chamber reaches the pipe 34 the spent charge is exhausted therethrough. Of course, the foregoing operation is repeated each time that one of the combustion chambers 1 reaches the valve 24. vIf desired, the housing I may be provided with cooling fins. Also, the engine may be provided with any suitable lubricating system.

It is believed that the many advantages of a rotary internal combustion engine constructed in accordance with the present invention will be readily understood, and although a preferred embodiment of the engine is as illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to which will fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

A rotary engine comprising a housing, a shaft journaled in said housing, a rotor fixed on said shaft and operable in the housing, said rotor having a plurality of circumferentially spaced combustion chambers in its periphery, a fuel pump on the housing, said pump including a, casing having a circular chamber therein, a shaft mounted off center in the chamber, a rotor fixed on the second-named shaft, means connecting said second-named shaft to the first-named shaft for actuation thereby, a valve chamber in the casing, said casing having a passage therein establishing communication between the valve chamber and the pump chamber, a valve slidable in the valve chamber and riding on the periphery of the first-named rotor, a removable closure block in the valve chamber, set screws in said valve chamber securing said block in position, coil springs in the valve chamber yieldingly engaging the valve with the first-named rotor, at bar in the valve chamber engaged with said coil springs, screws adjustably mounted in the block and engaged with the bar for adjusting the coil springs, said valve having a port extending therethrough communicating, at one end, with the passage when the valve is in raised position and, at its other end, with the combustion chambers when said valve is in lowered position, said valve constituting means for conveying compressed fuel from the pump chamber to the combustion chambers, and a spark plug mounted on the housing for firing the charge in the combustion chambers.

ROBERT C. WALLACE. 

